Alb was trying to understand the evil behind the offer. It was certain that the Roman contingent would not need their weapons. He continued to stare expectantly at the commander in front of him.
The two men stood facing each other in the shadow of the rain clouds coming against the heat of the air. They were trying to communicate verbally without taking their eyes off each other. Alb tilted her head to the side as if she wanted to hear the rest of the offer. The Roman commander, on the other hand, got off his horse and began to approach the young man, as if to show that he was just as brave as the warrior before him.
"You will stay to fight in the Roman army. Your people will be free to go wherever they want. I will even give them a document bearing my banner and seal so that they can move freely. That way, no other Roman troops will be able to attack them."
For Alb, the offer was incredibly tempting. To protect his people, he could blindly accept; if his wife had not been among the soldiers mentioned. The precaution he had taken to protect Arunas had put his wife in danger with his own hands.
"I will accept your offer, but he will stay with my people. They need a hunter to spend the winter," he nodded at Arunas.
The Roman commander stared first at the indicated soldier. He was much smaller than the others, without mold, and resembled a child in stance. But, when he looked around the battlefield, the arrows he saw on many of the dead caused him to turn his gaze back to the archer.
"It looks like you're trying to hide your greatest treasure from me." For a brief moment, Alb was shocked by the words that spilled from Roman's lips. Did he realize that Arunas was a woman, or was he speaking out based on his archery skills?
He said nothing and continued to stare at the commander in anticipation of the condition he wanted to change in the agreement.
Arunas was following the conversation between the men without taking his eyes off. And the Roman commander spoke; "No, he will come too."
The young man took a deep breath. He had nothing to do. He couldn't sacrifice all his people just for his wife. He could then find a solution for Arunas. On the battlefield, his men could very well protect his wife. As an archer, she would never stay in combat. After making eye contact with the clan's leader, Arunas' father, he slowly lowered his sword, and his warriors began to lower their swords one by one with him.
Only Arunas stood still. Her arrow was still aimed at the Roman commander and was looking into his father's eyes. But at that moment, she realized that he needed to act like Alb's other warriors, and immediately lowered her arrow.
Meanwhile, the Roman commander ordered the release of the captives. He left one of his own banners to Arunas' father and handed it over as well, stamping the immunity document prepared by his assistant.
As the warriors mingled with the clan to quietly bid farewell to their families, the Roman commander spoke to Alb without taking his eyes off Arunas. Of course, he hadn't neglected to put a soldier after the little archer; He didn't want her to mingle with the clan and run away.
Antonius muttered as he stared at the piled oxcarts with his arms crossed across his chest. "Why are you dressing like Persians?" While the Roman soldiers were burying their dead, the nomads continued their preparations.
"I don't know any of the men you call Persians. This is our oath. This is how our warriors dress since the time of our ancestors." Every sentence Alb said, which was full of lies to the bone, was actually a legend he had made up with his men two nights ago just to protect Arunas.
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CELTS - The Last Slave - Arunas
Historical Fiction"What does a slave do?" While the story that started in the Black Sea Region continues on the Antonine Wall, there is a call for miracles from the lips... From the beginning of history, a fairy tale from A.C. 140... She was the last slave of the Ant...
